I think you confirmed something very important that I have suspected regarding package size:

Correo Argentino will deliver books in padded envelopes directly to your home address but items that are boxed are sent to Retiro.

I had never thought about ordering just one book at a time via Amazon but your experience convinces me that it’s worth a try.

I am sorry to learn of your negative book experiences. Perhaps the following tips may make a difference. First, regardless of how many books I want to order, I tend to order only one book at a time. I wait until I receive a shipping confirmation email from Amazon.com before ordering the next. This is usually no more than two to three days. There are a number of reasons why I split the orders up even though this does add somewhat to the overall shipping cost.

Package size seems to matter: Ordering one book at a time increases the probability that you won’t have to go to Retiro. Amazon.com often ships one book in a heavy cardboard or padded envelope as opposed to a box which they use for multiple book orders. However, Correo Argentino is far more likely to deliver to your home one book in an envelope than it will many books in a box. The times when you are forced into going to Retiro, which I occasionally also must do, should decrease significantly.

Package value seems to matter: In my experience, the less value a package has, the less chance there is that some shady bureaucrat will try to stick you up for taxes, and the more likely it is that they won’t want you to show up at Retiro for a Q&A session about whether the shipment is for commercial purpose. I really hate these encounters.

(Just the other day, I wanted to deck one official when he kept insisting that my recrafted, at the Oregon factory, very expensive Danner hiking boots were new, and that I had to pony-up if I expected to walk out the door with them. Thankfully, my Argentine bride was able to convince him that they were indeed used.)

Smaller less-value envelopes/packages are far less likely to get lost: In reality, we all know that most lost packages aren’t lost at all. They’ve been purloined. As you know, English language books here have an incredible resale value. Your package is far less likely to get pilfered by some enterprising official if it has only one book than if it has ten.

Let’s face it, no matter what we do, some packages will disappear into the unknown: It’s far better to lose one book you are waiting for than to lose many. Also, its better to have Amazon.com investigate one missing book rather than many. My experience with them has been outstanding. They almost always resend the book or issue a refund.

As for the tax issue”¦.

The tax-free status for imported books is pretty unequivocal. I provide two separate citations; the customs declaration form we all fill out every time we reenter Argentina and a statement from the AFIP website. I interpret both citations to mean that there is no set dollar limit on books as long as you can reasonably justify that they are not for commercial purpose.

\”You can bring into the country without paying any duties:
Secondhand clothes and used objects.
Books, newspapers and brochures without commercial purpose.
New goods up to a limit of US$ 300.”
http://www.afip.gov.ar/genericos/formularios/archivos/pdf/f2087_g1.pdf

\”Tipos de franquicias. Existen (2) dos tipos de franquicias:
Franquicia para el ingreso de otros objetos dentro del concepto de equipaje (que no son ropas, objetos de uso personal, libros, folletos y periódicos); Franquicia para la compra en tiendas libres (free shops)”
http://www.afip.gov.ar/turismo/

Unfortunately, the reality is that the law here is often at the whim, mercy, and perhaps greed of the cranky bureaucrat you get stuck dealing with. It’s possible that the officials you dealt with in Mar del Plata scammed you.

The other times I’ve ordered from Amazon I had to go to Retiro to pick up the box of books. Maybe that’s a recent change? It has been a couple of years since I’ve ordered from Amazon. It would be really swell not to trek over to the int’l postal office in Retiro to pick up a box of books. (I always bought a number of books when I ordered from Amazon.)

Also, worth noting: in Mar del Plata evidently the customs rules are different. (This being Argentina). The aduana official told us that a 50% import tax is charged on all items with a value of over $25 – even books. They had a big sign with the 50% over $25 in the waiting room. I never had to pay an import tax at Retiro when picking up Amazon orders. Not sure what’s up in Mar del Plata.

Another option for those who don’t mind their books in digital form: order via Amazon, download to a Kindle reader as long as your account is linked to a U.S.-based debit/credit card. Kindle e-books can now be read on multiple devices via the free Kindle app (iphones, desktop, netbooks). I still prefer print but am slowly accepting that much of my future reading will be on a device.

The amount you save by ordering from Amazon.com is significant. The shipping fee to Argentina is oftentimes covered by the retail discount that Amazon.com offers on most books. For example, I just ordered a book and was charged ten dollars in shipping. The total cost I paid is the about the same as what I would have paid for the book at a retail outlet in the U.S. such as Borders or Barnes and Noble.

The cheapest shipping method takes about three weeks and the Argentine government assesses no import taxes on books. Normally, the regular postal service, or whichever other shipper Amazon.com uses, will deliver your books right to your address so there is no need to go to Retiro or Ezeiza.

That’s a great book. Unfortunate that it’s difficult to find in BsAs. Kel & Walrus were the best options. I don’t know of any other places that would have it. Sorry.